National Hospital: Brain drain reduced our workforce by 500

The National Hospital in Abuja says the brain drain plaguing the health sector has reduced its workforce from 3,000 to 2,500.

Speaking with NAN on Tuesday, Muhammad Raji, chief medical director of the hospital, said the reduction in personnel is in spite of 25 years of medical breakthroughs and significant staff expansion.

Raji highlighted the hospital’s achievements, saying it began operations with a small number of staff, offering limited services primarily for women and children.

“Today, we provide comprehensive treatment for all genders and ages. Our services have grown significantly over the years, and so has our workforce,” he said.

“If it was not for the brain drain affecting our workforce, we will be talking about 3,000 today.

“The migration of healthcare professionals from Nigeria to other countries has reached alarming levels, posing challenges for maintaining adequate staffing in Nigerian hospitals.

“It’s not easy to get as many healthcare workers as we need, especially with the increasing number of professionals migrating abroad.”

He said he is hopeful that the trend would be reversed through innovative collaborations with the Nigerian diaspora.

“The hospital has established partnerships allowing Nigerian medical professionals working abroad to return on a rotational basis,” he said.

“These professionals spend two weeks here and then return at their convenience, benefiting both them and our healthcare system.”

He urged the government and private sector to create a conducive environment to encourage more healthcare workers to stay or return to Nigeria.

He also underscored the hospital’s pioneering achievements.

“Notable milestones include separating conjoined twins, performing the first open brain surgery with the patient fully awake, and pioneering treatments for chronic arthritis and brain surgeries,” he said.

“The hospital also celebrated the birth of sextuplets, all of whom survived.”

The hospital will celebrate its 25th anniversary from September 2-8.